DETHHAUS
Dethhaus 2
(Rakka Rakka Records)
DETHHAUS jumps headfirst into 2023 with a new two-track release appropriately titled DEATHHAUS 2. The EP dropped earlier this week on Rakka Rakka Records and follows up on their surf rock instrumental debut, this time with vocals added to the equation!
The band originally featured Johnny Void (Johnny Void and The Others, X-Ray Youth) on guitar and bass and Justin Welch (of Brit-pop group Elastica) on drums. For this EP they’ve added School For The Blind’s Rajko Mud on keyboards and it’s a nice, subtle compliment without completely overpowering the original sound of the band.
Clocking in at a brisk 2:01, “Slipped Into A Dream” quickly sets the scene and wastes no time getting things started. It might not seem like an obvious choice, but the merging of Brit power-pop and surf rock is a chocolate/peanut butter combination I didn’t know I was craving. The song is fast and precise and yet still organic enough to feel like you’ve just stumbled upon an amazing live band playing an overcrowded college party. There is something about the energy in “Slipped Into A Dream” that makes me think of early R.E.M. The bold key changes and daring chord progressions with tasty backup vocals would make Michael Stipe feel right at home.
DETHHAUS follows it up with “And You” where they really start to flex. Hints of Smashing Pumpkins can be heard (especially in the bass), but the song could equally be a forgotten b-side from Rush or Yes or some other prog rock band with the tempo dialed up. It’s hard to categorize and that’s precisely what makes this tasty little EP stand out from the rest. No autotuning or quantizing here, just a lot of skill and passion, and they make it all sound pretty effortless! While not technically perfect (vocals seem intentionally buried in the mix), DEATHHAUS 2 certainly hits the mark without overstaying it’s welcome. More, please.
https://www.instagram.com/RakkaRakkaRecords
https://www.youtube.com/@DETHHAUS
https://open.spotify.com/album/2DZKIv3Zv2CeeAzCctgHgf?si=nVqbfbb2TMS1fdhb1rV_pQ
